The 21-year-old led from start to finish over the 2000m course.

However, the memorable victory only came about by chance as Halliday – who studies in Melbourne – came down to visit family for the weekend and only found out about the event during the week and entered late Friday night. But he was stoked he did so, winning such an event in his home town is something he rates highly.

“Being from Ballarat – it’s a big deal. It’s one thing to say I’ve swum in the lake, it’s another thing to say I finished first,” Halliday said.

“I’m definitely glad I did that.

“I started pretty hard, I tried to get ahead and then worry about anyone catching me when that became a problem.”

Halliday endorsed the event, which had about 200 entrants in its first year, and hoped to come back next year.

“It’s so good, I’ll have to do more of them. It’s a good event to run, it’s a good idea.

“Hopefully I can come back next year and do it again.”

Halliday swims 20 hours a week, mainly training in the pool.

Having trialled for the Commonwealth Games he will now turn his focus towards the Pan Pacific trials in July.

All times and placings of competitor in the Ballarat Triathlon Club's inaugural Swim to the Rings at Lake Wendouree on Sunday:

1 Thomas Halliday time 24:49 age category 18-29 age category placing 1 gender placing male 1

2 Samuel Rose 28:37 12-17 1 male 2

3 Kelly Stubbins 29:01 30-39 1 female 1

4 Jye Burton 29:05 12-17 2 male 3

5 Ebony Ebenwaldner 29:09 30-39 2 female 2

6 Darcy Williams 29:12 12-17 3 male 4

7 Brendan Cutts 29:22 18-29 2 male 5

8 Jayden Gledhill 30:32 30-39 1 male 6

9 Jeremy Wirges 30:46 30-39 2 male 7

10 Liam Green 30:50 18-29 3 male 8

11 Ryan Ackers 31:01 18-29 4 male 9

12 Sallee Caldwell 31:17 40-59 1 female 3

13 Ethan Hayes 31:50 12-17 4 male 10

14 Callum Parkinson 32:04 12-17 5 male 11

15 Kate Frazer 32:15 18-29 1 female 4

16 Louise Wood 32:23 18-29 2 female 5

17 James Wilson 32:40 18-29 5 male 12

18 Jono Gawthrop 32:41 18-29 6 male 13

19 Grant Seater 32:46 30-39 3 male 14

20 Jacinta Collier 32:59 30-39 3 female 6

21 Mark O'donnell 33:03 18-29 7 male 15

22 Alyssia Jenkins 33:09 12-17 1 female 7

23 Grant Gilbert 33:19 40-59 1 male 16

24 Nic Valpied 33:21 40-59 2 male 17

25 Alexandra Cateriano 33:55 30-39 4 female 8

26 Jack Jenkins 34:20 40-59 3 male 18

27 Darren Pryor 34:22 40-59 4 male 19

28 Alex Meakin 34:33 40-59 5 male 20

29 Charlotte Bodey 34:42 12-17 2 female 9

30 Jackie Ellul 34:42 18-29 3 female 10

31 Raoul Mulder 34:48 40-59 6 male 21

32 Anthony Ferguson 34:58 40-59 7 male 22

33 James Davey 35:00 12-17 6 male 23

34 Tracey Hassell 35:11 40-59 2 female 11

35 Jillian Muir 35:27 40-59 3 female 12

36 Matt Owen 35:36 30-39 4 male 24

37 Wayne Bourke 35:56 60+ 1 male 25

38 Jack Collings 35:59 18-29 8 male 26

39 Dave Garner 36:01 40-59 8 male 27

40 Brennan Roberts 36:03 30-39 5 male 28

41 Michael Harwood 36:05 40-59 9 male 29

42 Gregory Neerhut 36:12 60+ 2 male 30

43 Tony Torney 36:15 40-59 10 male 31

44 Grady Coutts 36:19 Swim Aid 1 male 32

45 Denys Dodd 36:23 60+ 3 male 33

46 Oliver Meakin 36:25 12-17 7 male 34

47 Ben Stott 36:29 30-39 6 male 35

48 Neil Wright 36:41 60+ 4 male 36

49 Terry Lee 36:48 40-59 11 male 37

50 Chelsea Deason 36:50 18-29 4 female 13

51 Michael Urban 36:54 40-59 12 male 38

52 Gary Ryder-robinson 36:56 40-59 13 male 39

53 Caolan Somers 37:19 18-29 9 male 40

54 Sandy Iuliano 37:28 40-59 4 female 14

55 Mark Davey 37:35 40-59 14 male 41

56 Dean Candy 37:42 40-59 15 male 42

57 Georgia Murphy 37:42 18-29 5 female 15

58 Phillip Cochrane 37:46 40-59 16 male 43

59 Jared Olsen 37:59 12-17 8 male 44

60 Sam Lees 37:59 Swim Aid 2 male 45

61 Andrew Wood 38:02 40-59 17 male 46

62 Rebecca Beagley 38:03 18-29 6 female 16

63 Tom Ferguson 38:15 30-39 7 male 47

64 Jayden Lang 38:19 12-17 9 male 48

65 Roderick Kilborn 38:21 40-59 18 male 49

66 Zachary Meakin 38:27 12-17 10 male 50

67 Russell Hawkes 38:31 40-59 19 male 51

68 Stephen Murphy 38:32 40-59 20 male 52

69 Jen Bourke 38:37 30-39 5 female 17

70 Tony Foss 38:42 40-59 21 male 53

71 Roy Solterbeck 38:42 40-59 22 male 54

72 Karin Ried 38:51 40-59 5 female 18

73 Grace Davies 38:59 12-17 3 female 19

74 Jeremy Cowan 39:08 40-59 23 male 55

75 Adrian Warmington 39:12 40-59 24 male 56

76 Stephen Oliver 39:37 40-59 25 male 57

77 Steve Menhennet 39:37 40-59 26 male 58

78 Adam Lowery 39:51 40-59 27 male 59

79 Bob Campbell-burns 39:58 60+ 5 male 60

80 Davis Coutts 40:23 12-17 11 male 61

81 Tanya Suggett 40:25 40-59 6 female 20

82 Micah Poole 40:25 12-17 12 male 62

83 Sarah Hawkes 40:28 18-29 7 female 21

84 Chris Beechey 40:35 40-59 28 male 63

85 Murray Theyers 40:38 60+ 6 male 64

86 Paul Brick 40:41 30-39 8 male 65

87 Joanne Ham 40:42 40-59 7 female 22

88 Janet Jones 40:45 40-59 8 female 23

89 Maree Macague 40:46 40-59 9 female 24

90 Patrick Hawkes 40:52 18-29 10 male 66

91 Belinda Mirabella 41:08 40-59 10 female 25

92 Kate Howard 41:22 18-29 8 female 26

93 Katie Jackson 41:27 12-17 4 female 27

94 Chris Hutton 41:28 40-59 29 male 67

95 Peter Byrnes 41:28 60+ 7 male 68

96 Teagan Glenane 41:30 30-39 6 female 28

97 Robert Cameron 41:31 60+ 8 male 69

98 Jess Egan 41:40 30-39 7 female 29

99 Craig Schepis 41:45 40-59 30 male 70

100 Paul Turner 41:54 40-59 31 male 71

101 Mat Dent 42:00 40-59 32 male 72

102 Hayley Birch 42:17 40-59 11 female 30

103 Linda Masterson 42:22 40-59 12 female 31

104 Laurie Allen 42:35 40-59 33 male 73

105 James Kerr 42:45 40-59 34 male 74

106 Zoe Ross 42:49 Swim Aid 1 female 32

107 Annie Belcher 42:50 18-29 9 female 33

108 Chris Collins 42:51 40-59 35 male 75

109 Philip Mcdougall 43:10 60+ 9 male 76

110 Gary Hines 43:13 60+ 10 male 77

111 Samantha Kilborn 43:18 30-39 8 female 34

112 Kevin Bell 43:23 60+ 11 male 78

113 Arthur Shaw 43:26 40-59 36 male 79

114 Danielle Barry 43:38 18-29 10 female 35

115 Carina Leviston 43:42 18-29 11 female 36

116 James Leviston 43:44 40-59 37 male 80

117 Denis Fitzpatrick 43:46 60+ 12 male 81

118 Kaylene Templar 43:56 40-59 13 female 37

119 Georgie Hassell 44:00 18-29 12 female 38

120 Tony Dundas 44:06 40-59 38 male 82

121 Holly Hutton 44:16 12-17 5 female 39

122 Michelle Ryan 44:21 30-39 9 female 40

123 Donna Heffernan 44:25 40-59 14 female 41

124 James Nicol 44:29 40-59 39 male 83

125 Malcolm Bell 44:31 40-59 40 male 84

126 Janine Dodds 44:39 40-59 15 female 42

127 Darren Smith 44:42 40-59 41 male 85

128 Graeme Ferguson 44:45 60+ 13 male 86

129 Deanna Neville 44:47 40-59 16 female 43

130 Chuck Read 44:57 40-59 42 male 87

131 Tara Brick 45:02 30-39 10 female 44

132 Elio Comello 45:05 40-59 43 male 88

133 Cameron Sanowden 45:09 40-59 44 male 89

134 Emma Manton 45:12 40-59 17 female 45

135 Trevor Lea 45:41 60+ 14 male 90

136 Duncan Howard 45:44 40-59 45 male 91

137 Chung-leong Li 45:51 30-39 9 male 92

138 Laura Tweddle 45:59 30-39 11 female 46

139 Rod Coates 46:05 40-59 46 male 93

140 Cecilia Benedict 46:07 40-59 18 female 47

141 Jen Henderson 46:08 40-59 19 female 48

142 Ross Gay 46:12 40-59 47 male 94

143 Bill Jeffrey 46:23 60+ 15 male 95

144 Cath Jessop 46:31 40-59 20 female 49

145 Paul Esmonde 46:34 40-59 48 male 96

146 Marie Bird 46:44 40-59 21 female 50

147 Susan Gay 47:18 40-59 22 female 51

148 Anthony Mcilwaine 47:28 40-59 49 male 97

149 Christine Shaw 47:31 40-59 23 female 52

150 Bridget Clarke 47:33 40-59 24 female 53

151 Keely Williams 47:40 18-29 13 female 54

152 Linda Mcnamara 47:56 40-59 25 female 55

153 Martin Neild 48:00 40-59 50 male 98

154 Sue Garner 48:04 40-59 26 female 56

155 Colin Macdonald 48:23 60+ 16 male 99

156 Alistair Cardew 48:51 18-29 11 male 100

157 Peter Collins 48:55 40-59 51 male 101

158 Nicholas Van Der Molen 49:31 30-39 10 male 102

159 Mary-ann Seebeck 49:31 40-59 27 female 57

160 John Gardner 49:54 30-39 11 male 103

161 David Tapscott 50:13 40-59 52 male 104

162 Zali Palmer 50:16 12-17 6 female 58

163 Rebecca Fleming 50:18 40-59 28 female 59

164 Richard Young 50:19 18-29 12 male 105

165 Annie Cowan 50:52 12-17 7 female 60

166 Tilly Pearce 50:53 12-17 8 female 61

167 Dean Petrie 50:58 18-29 13 male 106

168 Peter Ebenwaldner 51:10 40-59 53 male 107

169 Pauline Molloy 51:35 40-59 29 female 62

170 Simon Jarvis 51:44 40-59 54 male 108

171 Meredith Carter 51:50 18-29 14 female 63

172 Russel Cowan 51:55 40-59 55 male 109

173 Jennie Leith 52:18 60+ 1 female 64

174 May Thomas 52:48 18-29 15 female 65

175 Sandra Mcalpine 52:51 18-29 16 female 66

176 Abiathar Templar 53:01 12-17 9 female 67

177 Rob Hughes 53:08 40-59 56 male 110

178 Diane Shiells 53:35 Swim Aid 2 female 68

179 Tim Zwar 54:16 60+ 17 male 111

180 Meg Tait 54:20 30-39 12 female 69

181 Sharon Dundas 54:35 Swim Aid 3 female 70

182 Sandy Coutts 54:35 Swim Aid 4 female 71

183 Tanya Heath 55:14 40-59 30 female 72

184 Matt Davis 55:21 40-59 57 male 112

185 Howard Louis 55:26 40-59 58 male 113

186 Ian Kerr 55:49 60+ 18 male 114

187 Tristan Brumby-rendell 56:30 30-39 12 male 115

188 Alice Bewly 56:30 18-29 17 female 73

189 Braden Evans 56:49 18-29 14 male 116

190 Michelle Shaw 57:03 40-59 31 female 74

191 Lee Meakin 57:06 40-59 32 female 75

192 Ian Janson 57:09 40-59 59 male 117

193 Clare Sleeman 57:18 40-59 33 female 76

194 Graham Cheeseman 57:35 60+ 19 male 118

195 Peter Beaumont 57:46 60+ 20 male 119

196 John Berriman 57:59 60+ 21 male 120

197 Grace Van Hees 58:30 12-17 10 female 77

198 Ian Kemp 1:00:17 60+ 22 male 121

199 Nathan Brown 1:01:16 12-17 13 male 122

200 Merv Thomas 1:01:27 60+ 23 male 123

201 Andrew Brown 1:02:21 40-59 60 male 124

202 Patrick Holland 1:02:53 60+ 24 male 125

203 Josh Clough 1:02:54 18-29 15 male 126

204 Denis Churkovich 1:04:12 60+ 25 male 127

205 Mark Ciccarelli 1:04:20 30-39 13 male 128

206 Loretta Robinson 1:04:40 40-59 34 female 78

207 Josephine Brown 1:04:55 Swim Aid 11 female 79

208 Tennille Ussher 1:06:32 30-39 13 female 80

209 Conor Dickson 1:07:28 18-29 16 male 129

210 Justine Malone 1:08:26 40-59 35 female 81

211 Alan Hands 1:11:12 60+ 26 male 130

212 Jan Stewart 1:11:13 40-59 36 female 82

213 Angela Scwikkard 1:14:12 40-59 37 female 83

214 Peter Charlewood 1:41:37 60+ 27 male 131